1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a tower or pylon mounted towing device whereby aerodynamic forces are coupled to the tether for stabilizing and/or steering the tow vehicle.
2. Description of the Related Art
Wakeboarding has become the gymnastics of water-skiing. Competitive wakeboarders score points by vaulting from the wake of a towboat and flipping, twisting, and grabbing high over the water""s surface. Higher, longer jumps are preferred. Towboats are modified to enhance the wakeboard experience and provide a better show for the spectators. Extra ballast is loaded into the boat and sometimes the hull is modified to form larger wakes. Extended pylons and towers extend upward from modern ski boats to provide a higher tether attachment. The higher attachment helps the wakeboarder to jump higher and stay up longer, but it has the adverse effect of rolling, and sometimes steering, the boat when the wakeboarder pulls hard outside the wake.
The possibility of wakeboarders capsizing their craft have limited the practical use of extended pylons and towers to a height of about 7 feet for boats 22 feet and under. Larger vessels, such as sport fishing boats, are equipped with much taller towers, but the bulky size, high cost, fuel consumption and awkward road handling make these impractical towboats for most wakeboarders and waterskiers.
Movable roll stabilizers are common on the hulls of larger vessels for the sole purpose of reducing the rolling action caused by unsteady seas. They are usually of the submersible type and act upon the hydrodynamic forces exerted as when a dorsal fin is rotated about an axis that is angled to nearly intersect the ship""s centerline. They are usually controlled by mechanical actuators and a feedback loop within the vessel.
It is, therefore, the object of this patent application to provide a pylon mounted towing device whereby aerodynamic forces are coupled to the tether for stabilizing and/or steering the tow vehicle.
The present application discloses a stabilizing device comprising an attachment point positioned high above a towboat, a tether connecting said towboat to a towed subject and an aerodynamic surface whose angular position is guided by said tether, and which acts to roll stabilize said towboat as said towed subject applies lateral loads.
In a preferred embodiment of the device, the aerodynamic surface further comprises a leading edge, a trailing edge and a sail area, and the sail area is sized and articulated to counter rolling moments applied by the towed subject.
In other preferred embodiments, the attachment point is elevated by a structure selected from the group consisting of a mast, a pylon, a bridge and a tower and the towed subject is a wakeboarder or waterskier. Slots may be cut into the aerodynamic surface to achieve a higher lift coefficient.
In other preferred embodiments, the device may be folded down for stowage or road travel and the device when folded down supports a shelter against harmful sunrays or adverse weather. In yet other preferred embodiments, the aerodynamic surface is used to display advertisements.